BEAR MOUNTAIN
Bear Mountain State Park
Palisades Parkway
(Route 9W North)
Bear Mountain, NY 10911
(845) 786-2701
Bear Mountain State Park is located in a valley between mountains overlooking the Hudson River. The park has a lodge, lake, swimming pool, and Trailside Museum and Zoo and numerous hiking, biking and cross-country ski trails. There are over 50 official trails covering 235 miles in the Park. The first section of the Appalachian Trail running from Bear Mountain south to the Delaware Water Gap opened here on October 7, 1923 and served as a pattern for the development of other sections of the Trail.
On this hike, I started near the Bear Mountain Inn and walked the Appalachian Trail through the park and to the Bear Mountain Zoo. The Appalachian Trail passes through the Zoo which is the lowest elevation on the entire ~2,200-mile trail. There are outstanding views down to the Hudson River in this area and also from the nearby bridge.
Backpacker Magazine
Outside Magazine- click to see trail photos from this backpacking trip to the Bear Mountain Bridge: November 1, 2022
- click to view a trip report for this hike at Bear Mountain State Park: November 1, 2022 (password required)
- click to view maps of the A.T. in New York: overview map, trail map (one), trail map (two), (password required)
- click to see a video slideshow of my 1994 hike on the A.T. (short film produced 2019 ~ 5 min)
- click to watch a movie with commentary on BirdShooter’s 1994 Appalachian Trail thru-hike (long film produced 1996 ~39 min)
- click to hear Appalachian Trail thru-hiker interviews from 1994 (password protected)
- click to listen to a podcast about 30 Pack’s 2012 thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail
- click to see some of my favorite photos from the Appalachian Trail
- click to view a day-by-day summary of BirdShooter’s 1994 Appalachian Trail thru-hike
- click to read about BirdShooter’s Appalachian Trail thru-hike in these States: Georgia, North Carolina/Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia/Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine
- click to view specific sections of the Appalachian Trail (with photos from each state)
- click to read some common Appalachian Trail terms and definitions
- click to review a basic summary of the 2000+ mile Appalachian Trail
- click to view an overview map of the entire Appalachian Trail
- click to view forums and general trail conversation about the Appalachian Trail
- click to get the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker’s Planning Guide
- click to get the Appalachian Trail Data Book
- click to see some other recommended books, videos and games about the Appalachian Trail
- click to post your own hike on the Appalachian Trail and share photos from the trip
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